When Shantell and Ty Bassett agreed to buy their first new home, they knew months of hard work lay ahead of them. Just three months into their renovation, the Bassetts found out they were expecting a child. After baby Joseph finally arrived, life could not have been better—until Ty noticed a swelling in his left foot. One X-ray, an MRI, and a biopsy later, he was diagnosed with synovial-cell sarcoma, a rare cancer.

Ty had a below-the-knee amputation and underwent an intense treatment of chemotherapy. To make ends meet, Ty was forced to sell the screen-printing business he owned and Shantell took a job as a waitress. Through it all, Shantell tried to keep Ty focused on the life they were building together, and their unfinished home became a symbol of their future.